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Satan & Lucifer Are Not The Same Dude?

Isaiah 13-17

In today’s reading we hear a prophecy concerning Babylon and its king.  Some have felt that “Day Star” was a reference to Lucifer and that Lucifer is another name for Satan.  I actually thought all of this myself until I started reading commentaries about the verses below.

Isaiah 14:12-15

“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
But you are brought down to Sheol,
to the far reaches of the pit.”

Isaiah has prophesied that Judah will be conquered by Babylon.  He also has prophesied, as seen above, that Babylon will be punished for what it will do to Judah.

I find the Bible to be a bit like a diamond.  God’s light shines through the Bible in a dazzling display of shimmering color.  Turn the diamond just a bit and you get yet another sparkle of light.  What I mean by all of this is that the Bible has layer upon layer of truth.  We read the Bible from a particular vantage point and perceive a certain level of truth.  Another day we may read the same passage from a different spiritual or even emotional place and suddenly see truth we had never seen before.  There is great depth in God’s Word.

The king of Babylon had exalted himself as a god – Caesar did that too.  Our reading today refers to this king as “Day Star”.  This is another way of saying “Morning Star” which was Venus.  It is a star that you can see just before sunrise.  The Morning, or Day, Star has also been used as a designation for Lucifer which is a translation of the Hebrew word meaning “light bringer” or “shining one”.  The word “Satan” means “accuser”.  Somehow we have come to think of Lucifer and Satan as the same being but this doesn’t appear to be supported by Scripture.  If any of you guys can show me Scriptural references that prove otherwise please do.  I’m reading several commentaries but that doesn’t mean they are correct.

Guys, I got home last night from being out of town on business all week, and my daughter has just come down and asked me to watch a movie with her.  I need to do that.  I’m going to stop my comment here so I can take care of my fatherly duties.  Our kids need time with their dads.  I guess this means I’ve left plenty of room for comments, so hit me with your best shot!

Have a blessed day!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!

Prepare To Meet Your God

Amos 1-5

The Cave of Hira where Muhammad was "squeezed" by the angel Gabriel.

Amos was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  He was what we might call in America a “back-woods preacher”.  He came from Tekoa.  Tekoa actually means “a camping ground”.  It has never been anything more than a “whistle-stop” even to this day.  Amos was a herdsman from some pretty rough territory whom God told to prophecy to His people.  If you ever think you don’t have what it takes to stand up and declare the Word of God then you are not reading scripture very carefully.  Amos was no slick, silver tongued, Madison Avenue type; nor was the Apostle Peter and any number of faithful Godly men for that matter.  All that is required to be used by God to His purpose is right relationship with Him and obedience.

I want to share one little verse that jumped out at me and then jump to the end of today’s reading.

Amos 5:4

“For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live;”

There is what God has been saying to us throughout the Bible and throughout history; “Seek me and live”.  This is not a onetime deal either.  You don’t seek Him, find Him, and then go your own way again.  You have to seek Him every day.  Jesus is on the move.  He is marching through the hearts and minds of men and women all over the globe.  That is why He says “If any man wishes to come after me let him deny Himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. (Luke 9:23)”  Daily we must seek Him.  Daily we must put aside what we want so we can focus on where He is.  We must not look to the left or to the right but keep our eyes steadfastly focused on Jesus who leads the way.

So, I get to Amos 5:26 and this is what I read:

Amos 5:26

“You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves,”

“Kiyyun” is the Babylonian name for Saturn.  As we know, many Jews started

The Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The focus of the annual pilgrimage and home of the sacred meteor.

following foreign gods and this had God pretty ticked off.  This Kiyyun was one of those foreign gods.  What made me stop was the hyphenated word “star-god”.  It made me stop because of something I had read years ago about the Islamic faith.  One of the Five Pillars of Islam is the “Hajj” a requirement to make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in your lifetime.  The Hajj occurs every year from the 8^th to the 12^th day of the last month of the Islamic calendar.  The pilgrimage to Mecca actually is a trip to a cube-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia called the “Kaaba”.  Muslims believe that this building, a temple of sorts, was first erected by Adam and Eve at the site where a meteor came to rest.  It is further believed that Ibrahim, Abraham to you and me, rebuilt the building generations later.

The Black Stone; the subject of great veneration at the heart of Islam.

Today the Kaaba is surrounded by a mosque and not only are non-believers not allowed inside the mosque, they are not allowed in the city of Mecca.  Once a pilgrim has made it to the Kaaba he walks seven times around the cube in a counter clock-wise direction.  The meteor called “The Black Stone” is mounted on a corner of the Kaaba and each of the seven times a pilgrim passes the stone they point to it.  Back when there weren’t as many pilgrims to contend with, people would kiss the stone as they passed just as Muhammad had.  Today the crowds are far too big to allow such an intimate interaction with the stone.

Now it is important to note that this stone was worshipped prior to the development of Islam.  In fact the Kaaba itself was a temple long before Islam existed and housed many “gods”.  One of those gods was named Allah.  Each Arab tribe had its own collection of gods.  This “Allah” god was often considered the “chief” god of a tribe.  Muhammad, it is said, was an orphan and at one point raised by a Christian Bishop.  Whether that is true or not, he clearly had a strong understanding of the monotheistic faith of Jews and Christians.  Muhammad’s people were tribal nomads.  They had no real sense of unity as a people.  The Jews and the Christians were advanced and power groups compared to the Arabs of that day, and Muhammad clearly saw the advantages of the unity one could forge from belief in one god.

Muhammad synthesized a belief system that pooled all of the various tribal gods into one god named Allah.  He borrowed heavily Judaic and Christian theology in creating his new faith which is why you can see many similar attributes shared by these faiths.  As I read up on this I was reminded of the Mormon faith.  Muhammad claimed that one day the angel Gabriel appeared to him and ordered him to read a text that he could not read.  I read portions of his wife’s description of this encounter and it is terrifying.  He referred to this being as Allah and only later, after conference with a Christian cousin, called this being Gabriel.  His wife claims that three times Muhammad was “squeezed” and ordered to read a text that he could not read.  You can go here to read about this frightening experience:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad%27s_first_revelation

Her account of this incident reminds me more of Satan than God, and Muhammad was clearly traumatized by the event, if her words are to be believed.  I mentioned the Mormon faith because it too was founded by a man claiming a special angelic revelation of text that only he could read.  It seems everyone wants to get into the act!

At any rate, have you ever noticed the symbol most associated with Islam?  It is a crescent and star “logo” if you will.  Now to be fair, Islam, like Judaism, does not allow for symbols to represent God, but still they have this symbol that they place on their flags and mosques.  Now I am not a Muslim and cannot claim to know their faith to any great degree.  I have read the ranting of crazy Imams that completely twist the Christian faith out of all recognizable shape and I realize I could be guilty of doing the same thing here.  Do me a favor, please do not run to Muslims and suppose to tell them you know their faith better than they do.  That would be insulting and in no way make them receptive to hearing the Gospel.

With that said, I see some things here in their own telling of their history that I find rather interesting.  They kiss and/or point to a piece of a star that has fallen from heaven.  They turn and pray five times a day toward this little chunk of star.  The only symbol recognized around the world as representing Islam contains a crescent and star.  Earlier this year we read in the Bible of the “Day Star” that was so beautiful but rebelled against God and fell from heaven.  This “Day Star” was named Lucifer, aka Satan.

Isn’t it interesting that Islamic history has a meteor, a piece of fallen star, that comes to earth and directs Adam and Eve to build an alter?  We know that Satan fell to earth, was in the Garden of Eden, and encouraged Adam and Eve to join him in his rebellion against God.  The temple they allegedly built housed many of the very gods that the Israelites foolishly pursued.  They pursued these gods because they were gods they thought they could control.  They were gods made by their own hands that did not demand that they be righteous.

Today I hear people say that they cannot believe in a God that would allow suffering in the world.  They also say that if they do more good than bad they will get to go to heaven.  They have created their own religions to suit their own purposes and all such religions belong to Satan.  He wants you to join him in his rebellion.  Israel and Judah joined him and even though they were God’s chosen people He punished them for their disobedience.

Punishment is coming for all.  The man-made gods that populate this earth will do you no good.  There is only one true God.  He loves you and wishes you to be saved from the punishment you deserve, but you will have to submit to His authority, accept the atoning sacrifice of His only begotten Son, and follow Him alone.  Look here at what God says to Israel in response to their following after foreign gods.

Amos 4:12

“Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;
because I will do this to you,
prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”

Prepare to meet your God!  Are you prepared?

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!

I Will…

Isaiah 14-18

Well, once again old J. Vernon McGee said something in his commentary on today’s verses that said what I would like to say so much better.  So, once again, I’ll just let him say it.

But first let’s look at the verse in question.

Isaiah 14:12-14

“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’

There seems to be some difference of opinion as to whom this two word phrase “Day Star” refers.  Isaiah 14:4 makes it clear that the verses that follow refer to the king of Babylon and so I think it rather obvious that on the most basic level this is who is meant by the appellation “Day Star”.   Now the King James Version doesn’t render this term as “Day Star” but “Lucifer” and, on a deeper level, I can certainly see how that would apply.  I’m going to share with you what J. Vernon said about these verses but my point isn’t to get into a debate about the real target of these verses, but a discussion on the issue of sin.

McGee, J. V. (1997). Thru the Bible commentary (electronic ed.). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Isaiah 14:2

“Lucifer” is none other than Satan. Lucifer, according to Ezekiel 28, is the highest creature that God ever created. But he was a Judas Iscariot—he turned on God. He set his will over God’s will. In Luke 10:18 the Lord Jesus says, “… I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” In 1 John 3:8 we are told, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” Then in Revelation 12:7–9 we are told, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” This is a picture of this creature Lucifer at the very beginning.

What was the sin of this creature created higher than any other? Well, what is sin in its final analysis? I’m not speaking philosophically, but theologically—what is sin?”

Isaiah 13-14

“These are the five “I wills” of Lucifer. He was setting his will over against the will of God. This is sin in embryo. This is the evolution of evil. There is no evolution of man, but there is an evolution of sin. It began by a creature setting his will against the will of God. As a free moral agent, the creature must be allowed to do this. It is nonsense to talk about a creature who has a free moral will, who can do anything he wants to, but is restricted in his movements in a certain area. Lucifer had a free will.

This is man’s original sin: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6). Murder is sin, not just because God says it is, but because it is contrary to the will and character of God. Anything that is contrary to the character and will of God is sin, regardless of what it is. I think that some people can even displease God by going to church.

Imagine little bitty puffed-up creature man, who says to God, “I won’t do what You want me to do. I am going to do it my way.” That is exactly what man is saying today. Well, friend, you are not going to do things your way, because God’s will is going to prevail in the final analysis. Therefore, the prayer of all God’s people should be, “… Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). Anything contrary to His will is sin, regardless of what it is.

The sin of Satan was overweening pride. He did not go out and get drunk, and he didn’t steal anything. He went against God’s will. He was created as an angel of light; he was the “son of the morning,” a perfect being. He was given a free moral will—he could choose what he wanted. But he was lifted up—so lifted up by pride that he set his will against the will of God. It wasn’t the purpose of Satan to be different from God; he wanted to be like God. In other words, he wanted to be God. He put his will above the will of God, and any creature who does that puts himself in the place of God.

There are many men like Lucifer today. They put their wills above the will of God and take His place. That is what sin is all about in the human family. There are only two ways: God’s way and man’s way. That is what the Lord Jesus Christ meant when He said, “… I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). My friend, you live in God’s universe today. You breathe His air and enjoy His sunshine. He never sends you a bill for either one or for the life He furnishes. You are His creature. You owe Him a great deal. You are to obey Him.

In his natural state, man is unable to obey God; that is why we have to come to Him through the Lord Jesus Christ as lost sinners. Then we are given a new nature. That is what it means to be born again.”

I have said that all sin comes from the same place; self-centeredness.  Self-centeredness makes us the center of the universe, of all creation.  This is God’s place, not ours.  When we struggle with sin we are struggling against our desire to be God.  It really is that simple.  That is why a sinner cannot be in God’s presence.  There is only one God and you are not Him.  If you can’t accept that you cannot have eternity.  It isn’t Gods’ fault it is yours.  Oh, the destruction we wreak in our own lives when we focus on ourselves.  You want to be happy?  Focus on God; there is no other truly satisfying way.

Have a selfless day!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!